Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918: historical lessons in the context of the military-political challenges of the 21st century

this article analyzes the historical lessons that are relevant in light of the military and political conflicts developing in the modern Middle East, arising from the controversial biography of Thomas Edward Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia (1888-1935) – a famous British intelligence officer and leader of the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918, who played an important role in the victory of the British army over the forces of the Ottoman Empire and changed the geopolitics and map of the Middle East. As such relevant lessons, the authors highlight the features of Lawrence's personality as an example of the enduring significance of a great personality in the history of military conflicts, his activities as a historical precursor to the usual strategy of asymmetric war and proxy war at the beginning of the 21st century. The authors also focus on the problem of commemorating military exploits – through an assessment of the historical significance of the famous works of Thomas Edward Lawrence – “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” and “Revolt in the Wilderness”, as well as the historical consecration of his personality in the works of his famous contemporaries and in 20th century cinema. The contradictory and tragic fate of Lawrence allows the authors of the article to reasonably attribute this famous historical figure to the “lost generation” generated by the First World War and vividly reflected in world literature.

Lawrence of Arabia, World War I, Arab Revolt, historical lessons, challenges of the 21st century